This invention relates generally to an electro-pneumatic starter of the type used for starting an engine and particularly the engine of a large over-the-road truck or other vehicle having a source of compressed air for operating air brakes or the like. An electro-pneumatic starter of the same general type as the starter of the present invention is disclosed by Coons U.S. Pat. No. 4,960,085 and specifically by FIGS. 15-21 thereof.
The starter disclosed in the Coons patent includes a drive gear which is adapted to be shifted axially into engagement with the bull gear of the engine. Thereafter, the drive gear is rotated by a turbine rotor driven by high pressure air admitted into the housing of the starter from the compressed air supply of the vehicle.
To effect shifting of the drive gear and to control the flow of pressurized air to the starter housing, the system of the Coons patent requires a plurality of electrical connections to the electrical system of the vehicle and requires a plurality of valves and air lines separate from the starter housing itself. Thus, installation of the starter is cumbersome and time-consuming since multiple components must be attached to the vehicle and since multiple pneumatic and electrical connections must be made.